In a surprise move, Apple has released a password manager for Windows.

This password manager is included in the latest update to iCloud for Windows, version 12.5. Windows 10 users can download iCloud for Windows from the Microsoft Store.

After installing or updating iCloud for Windows, you will see an item on the iCloud dashboard called "Passwords." Clicking on it will pop up a simple password manager, showing all passwords stored in the iCloud Keychain, and from this interface you can add passwords to the Keychain.

Samuel Axon of Ars Technica described this password manager as "bare-bones," which is quite accurate; as Axon put it, it "does the bare minimum." There is no password generator, no option to store anything other than a username and password, such as credit card numbers or personal information, etc.

However, there is an option to install the Apple Passwords extension for Microsoft Edge. This complements the extension for Google Chrome that comes with iCloud for Windows 12.0.

The extension allows for auto-filling of password form fields in either browser; if you are using Firefox, you will need to copy and paste from the Passwords desktop interface.

"Enabling the iCloud Passwords browser extension turns off the browser's built-in password storage feature," Apple's release notes state. This is because browsers are often not suitable for password protection.

Apple's support site has many more instructions for installing and using iCloud Passwords for PC, including here, here, and here.

Apple's iCloud Password on a PC is best thought of as a companion app for Apple-first people who must use a PC for work, or for those who have an iPhone but use Windows as their primary desktop OS

Windows version.

To use Password as part of iCloud on Windows, you must have an active Apple ID set up on your Apple device and have two-factor authentication (2FA) set up on your Apple account. You must also have Windows Hello configured on your PC, whether you sign in with your face, fingerprint, or locally stored device PIN.

It also requires an iOS device or a Mac with Big Sur or later. (We only had a 10-year-old Mac with High Sierra, so we were out of luck.) As part of the setup process, Apple's 2FA sends a one-time code to your iPhone or iPad. However, the backup option is to send an SMS text message to your phone, which is the worst 2FA. If only Apple would allow the use of an authentication app.

Now you are all set. However, Apple's password manager is quite limited in what it offers. Many of the stand-alone password managers (some of which are free) still offer a lot of functionality, including the ability to store other types of sensitive information and generate passwords.